Take the Pain Away
by Shining-Dreamer
Summary: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."
1. Chapter 1

Yeees.. -3-" I've started on another story.. But, do not fear! xD I have the 2nd chapter of "My Growing Family" done-I just need to type it up and submit it! And "The Slave of his Life" chapter 8 is neaaaarly complete. I just need to finish writing it and then I need to type it up. :3

I hope y'all enjoy this! xD It's gonna be angsty. ;D

**Summary**: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."

**Disclaime**r: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

**Warnings**: YAOI-menxmen, angst, mature intent, future rape, language, OCC-ness, of course.. And, there ain't no plot, there's no real reason for this besides the smut.

_**Take the Pain Away**_

"Sasuke, I want a kitty."

"No, no pets."

"Aww, but Saaaa'keeee!" Naruto whined as he stomped his foot, his hands forming fists down by his sides.

Never the one to be deterred, Sasuke merely grabbed his boyfriend's hand and literally dragged the blond away from the window of the pet store, a calm expression on his face. "No, Naruto. No pets." He repeated to the other fully grown man whom was currently acting like a four-year old with a tantrum. It was a normal occurrence in their lives for Naruto to act childish so it didn't bother Sasuke. He was used to it by now.

"I want a kitty, though! The one with the black face and orange body? Did you see its cuteness? I want thaaaaaaat oooooooone!" Naruto exclaimed, reluctantly allowing the older man to pull him along for the moment. He held an adorable scowl on his face and he directed said scowl to the back of the raven's head, a frown growing deeper and deeper with every step taken.

"I don't care, Naruto. No matter what you say or do, there is no way we are getting a cat." Sasuke sternly told him without even a backwards glance as he continued pulling Naruto along.

His words darkened the scowl in Naruto's expression and he remained silent for a moment. An angry Naruto was okay because that wasn't out of the ordinary what with him spouting out many curses and threats like he normally did. But a _silent_ angry Naruto was like death upon the one who made him in that state and Sasuke knew that. And so it wasn't weird when he felt a shiver run down his spine at the intense stare-down the back of his head was receiving from his boyfriend.

He hesitated as he walked, thinking,' not good. I sense the couch in my near future if I don't do something about this situation right now…' Y'all may be wondering what he meant by the couch... Well, once upon a time, a certain teme tried to throw away all ramen into the garbage can when a certain dobe was out shopping. Little did the teme know that the dobe was just walking into the kitchen when he tried to do the evil deed. Let's just say.. The couch wasn't the most comfortable source of cushion one could possibly have when they have a aching back for an entire month. It sucked dearly and Sasuke had vowed to never piss the blond off like that ever again. 'But I don't want a cat…' He thought just as he felt the smaller hand that he held in his loosen its grip on his own. Naruto had yet to say anything and the lack of grip caused a panic to over-ride Sasuke's senses. Couch? Or a damn animal? An achy back for only god knows how long? Or an annoying flea-bag for a long time till it died?

Cat?

Couch?

Cat?

Couch?

Cat?

Cou-!

Before his thought could be finished, Sasuke's hand was suddenly empty and he was tumbling into a nearby alley after being shoved by a livid blond.

"Shit!" He cursed under his breath as he went, luckily grabbing the wall to his left to catch his fall just in time. "Naruto, what the-?" He started to say as he got his footing, making a move to turn to look at his boyfriend, but was he was shoved further into the alley, this time being pitched into a darker shade so that he was masked from any viewers on the street, meaning they could no longer see him. Not unless they followed him in, of course. If you stood right next to him as Naruto was doing, you could see one another quite fine, albeit the shadows and such.

"Dammit, Naruto, what was that for-?" The raven started to say, again, but was suddenly pushed up against the building wall to his right and pinned by a smaller body, though very strong despite his size. "What the-?"

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…" The blonde's voice was low and husky as he 'tsk'ed at the raven, shaking his head as he placed his hands on his lover's hips. "You really think that I'm gonna let that slide?" He laughed an unusual dark laugh for him under his breath, causing a shiver to run up Sasuke's spine. Was this really Naruto? Damn, this wasn't good. "You can't just say no like that, bastard. Give me a better reason as to why I can't have what I want."

If the All-mighty Sasuke Uchiha quivered in fear and gulped loud enough for China to hear him, he wasn't going to admit it. You'd be smart enough not to tell anyone, either, for his wrath was as fierce as a raging dragon, its mouth full of fire… Just not at the moment when his boyfriend was the one pulling the shots. If Naruto was angry, then Sasuke could possibly be in a world of hurt at any moments' notice.

"I just don't want a damn pet at the moment, Naruto," Sasuke bravely told the blond after gathering his wits together, a bit of a scowl returning to his features. "You don't _need _a cat. I personally don't think we're in any position to be getting one now, anyhow. We just got an apartment not too long ago. Settling in first would be for the best."

Naruto's icy blue eyes narrowed the teensy bit, barely noticeable, and the fingers caressing the hips of his lover tightened. "We've had our apartment for nearly six months, Sasuke. We've had more than plenty enough time to be _'settled_' as you so put it. And _you_ might think I don't need a cat, but how could you know that? How could you know that considering you're always at work? You leave me alone at home and I have no one to keep me company through those long and lonely nights." His icy orbs saddened some and his gaze slid down to stare at his lover's chest. Dammit if the damn tears spilled then. He didn't want them at that time, not at such a crucial moment such as then. He needed to get his feelings known before it got any worse. He couldn't allow his tears to be the only source of comfort when his teme was stuck at work.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto blinked and looked up, coming face to face with a more than angry Uchiha.

"You've never complained about it before now." The raven denied, glaring. "If anything, the only reason why you would say that would be to get the cat. Are you that selfish to put me through such a guilt trip, Naruto? Would you really play my emotions like that? You call me a bastard, but look who's calling the kettle black."

This made the blond gape. Did he just seriously say that? Did he just blatantly say that Naruto was _'playing his emotions'_? What the hell? Naruto wasn't one to do something like that, he wasn't so low as to lie about his own feelings, so why..?

The tears from before threatened to spill now and Naruto suddenly glared at the other man, his hands dropping down to his sides as if he was burned. "You think I'd do that?" He quietly asked, keeping his voice low so that he didn't alert Sasuke of his emotional state. He didn't need to be laughed at for crying. I mean, Naruto knew that Sasuke wouldn't, but his emotions were running wild, so he wasn't really thinking straight at the moment. "You think I'd lie about something like this? Shit, Sasuke, what kind of a guy do you think I am? I-," he choked on his words, his throat constricting over a lump that suddenly appeared. "You…" He sniffled some as he glance away, pursing his lips together as he tried to blink away the water filling his eyes. "You know I wouldn't… Lie… I.. I'm always lonely at home. I don't complain because… Because I know you're working hard. I-I know you try to get home as quick as you can, but…" His brows scrunched down as he sniffled again, his anger slowly returning to him. He looked back at Sasuke with a slight glare, his icy blue orbs piercing through inky black depths. "You dare call me a liar… Damnit, Sasuke, you think I'd lie about my emotions?"

Sasuke, after watching so many emotions play across the blonde's face, opened his mouth to respond, but then slowly reclosed it. He was still slightly mad, but confusion was slowly taking its place. Had he made a mistake? Had he really made Naruto that lonely?

"You know what?" Sasuke refocused his attention on the blond in front of him, feeling a pang of guilt hit his heart at the sight of unshed tears brimming those beautiful blue peepers behind Naruto's bangs. "I don't care anymore. I'm going to work. Bye." And with that, Naruto turned on his heel and quickly stalked out of the alley and was gone before Sasuke could utter even his name.

It wasn't till it was too late that Sasuke remembered that he had taken time off for _Naruto_. The blond had been so excited for their day to be together, talking about making plans for the day for just the two of them. There was a part of him that thought Naruto had been a bit _too_ excited for their day to be together. Was that.. Did that mean he really had been lonely? He wanted this day to be a good one so bad. He had wanted to be with Sasuke and be happy. And look what he, Sasuke, had done—he'd gone and ruined it! What the hell kind of a boyfriend does that?

'Not a very good one, that's for sure,' Sasuke thought bitterly, slouching back against the wall behind him as he hit his head on the cement in agitation, annoyed with himself at his own stupidity. 'Damnit.'

What was he to do now? Should he run after the blond dobe?

…No… He'd be long gone by now. That bugger can really book it when he's upset. Naruto used to be a star athlete back in High School as a track runner. Sasuke knew firsthand from going to the blonde's competitions that Naruto was fast. He had the stamina for it, so he could run fast and for a long time. Sasuke, on the other hand, could barely run down the street without getting winded. He was perfect in everything else-mathematical sequences, trigonometry, physics, etc- but when it came to physical activity (besides those activities that involved getting into bed with a certain blond, that is), Naruto had him stumped. It was the only thing Naruto could gloat upon, really. Everything else… He kind of lacked the intelligence for.

But that's completely off topic.

Sasuke shook his head, scowling darkly at himself. This was freakin' ridiculous. This… This went beyond the couch punishment he would have earned if he'd had done anything else. No… If worse came to worse… If Sasuke didn't apologize to Naruto soon… And I mean _soon_… Then Sasuke knew that he could kiss their relationship goodbye. He'd never seen Naruto so upset before. Not like this. Sure, there were times when the blond had cried, but Sasuke had never been the reason for the tears. The only tears Sasuke could ever claim to be because of him were when they were in bed… er… "Wrestling". Yeah, wrestling.

'Fuuuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,' Sasuke continuously repeated in his head, his jaw clenched and his hands fisted down at his sides. As the vulgar word was repeated over and over again in his head, he pushed off against the wall and turned, quickly stalking out of the alley. He stopped, glanced to the left in the direction the pet store was and he felt his shoulders sag as he sighed. He glanced to his right, back to his left, and then all around without moving one more step, just to see if there was a chance that he'd see a mop of shocking blond hair anywhere. Unfortunately, he didn't. Naruto was long gone.

He glanced to the left one more time and sighed in defeat. Damn it all to hell. Sasuke took his time in a sluggish posture and walked down the sidewalk to the left of the alley. If this didn't work, then nothing word… And Sasuke sure as hell hoped this worked or else he was going to be a very depressed, lonely man…

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

You know… It was kind of hard to go to work when… Well, when you didn't exactly have a job to start with. Naruto soon found that out when he found himself standing in front of the apartment complex he and Sasuke shared. He'd been so angry and crying so much that he hadn't noticed where his feet had been taking him till he stopped and looked up. And, boy, did it piss him off when he stared at the one place where he always went to when he was emotionally breaking down. It was this place that he always seemed to be when he was crying, or hurting, or so depressed that he could barely keep it in.

Why would he come back here if it only meant there'd be more crying? More hurting? More depressed thoughts? What was the point in secluding oneself the way he always did when lonely? It wasn't right and Naruto knew that something needed to be changed. He was tired of hurting all the time.

So, wanting the change, needing the change so bad that it hurt… more… He turned his back on the apartment and began his trek away from it. He knew the once place where he could go to take his mind off of things. Off of everything. A place where he wouldn't be judged, wouldn't be criticized, or anything of the sort. He'd be comforted. He was always comforted when he went to a place he called his second home. Well, technically first, but he didn't live there anymore. So it didn't really count.

'But what if he's not home?' A worry wormed its way into his mind, causing him to hesitate in his next step. He bit his bottom lip, his icy blue orbs glancing around. 'What if he's still at work?'

'I'm sure he's not at work... It's a Sunday, after all,' Naruto tried to argue with himself, but the second voice didn't seem to agree.

'What if he's busy? What if he's grading papers? Would you really disturb him from trying to finish it all? Think about it.. Maybe he's been working all through the night?'

Iruka, Naruto's adoptive father, was a High School teacher. And, if he was like any teacher, he probably had over a hundred students. If he was grading papers… Then he'd be extremely busy. No doubt about it.

So, Naruto's next option was Gaara. But Sasuke didn't like it when he went to his red-headed friend's house alone. Sasuke said it was because Gaara lived in a bad neighborhood; he was afraid that Naruto might be kidnapped or something. Naruto liked to think that the teme was just being a possessive bastard as usual.

'Then again… Who cares what Sasuke thinks? I'm mad at him. I'll do whatever the hell I want to.' The blond stubbornly thought, his wet with tears cheeks puffing out in a pout. Sasuke wasn't there to stop him and, even if he tried, Naruto wouldn't have listened. He'd go because he wanted to. Because he could.

He turned on his heels with that thought and headed in the direction of the bus stop. Gaara's neighborhood was on the other side town and there was no way he'd walk that far.

_**The question was- -would he make it to Gaara's? Or was Sasuke's assumption that Naruto being kidnapped more like actual precision?**_

_**Read to find out in my next update!**_

_**Whenever that shall be! :D**_

_**No promises on an actual date, cuz, well, I'm not that punctual in any case. xD**_

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the second chapter! :D

Tell me what y'all think of it, kaaaay? xD

Enjoy!

**Summary**: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."

**Disclaime**r: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

**Warnings**: YAOI-menxmen, angst, mature intent, _rape_, language, OCC-ness, of course.. And, there ain't no plot, there's no real reason for this besides the smut. AND, there were no kitties harmed in the making of this chapter! ENJOY.

_**Take the Pain Away**_

"Merow?"

Sasuke glared.

"Meeeow."

The man's eyes narrowed even further. Why wouldn't this _thing_ shut up?

"Puuuuurrr~"

…Well… You have to admit it was kinda cute… In a weird, distracting way.

"Meow." Swatted paw to the face.

"What the fuck?" Sasuke shot up to his feet, staring dumbstruck at the kitten as it scampered away in fright from his outburst, hissing as it ran under the couch. "Dumb cat." The man growled, glaring daggers at the couch as he rubbed his face. Luckily, the rat hadn't used his claws. If it had, cat stew would have been on the menu for tonight's dinner. Apology to Naruto be damned. He'd just find another way to apologize to the blond.

Which reminded him…

Sasuke looked over at the wall clock near the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh. Where was that dobe, anyways? He should have realized by now that he didn't exactly _have_ a job. I mean, as far as Sasuke was concerned, he didn't think Naruto had a job. The blond had never talked about one, anyways. Would he have been lonely enough to get one without blabbing it off to Sasuke? Was that even possible? We all knew that Naruto couldn't really keep a secret. He was such a blabber-mouth like that.

'Soo.. Noo.. Naruto wouldn't really have a job. He's not the secretive type.' Sasuke thought, letting another heavy sigh blow from his lips. What was he to do now? He wouldn't know where to look first for the blond dobe-he could be anywhere in this city! 'I guess I'll just have to wait till he returns… _If_ he returns tonight.' The raven sat back down on the couch, leaning back into it as he ran his hands over his face, suddenly extremely exhausted. 'Naruto.. Where are you?'

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

'Fuuuuck… Where am I?' A certain blond-headed man silently asked himself as he gave his immediate surroundings a frantic search. He didn't know where he was nor could he remember how the hell he got here. Wherever _here_ **is**. What he could remember was that he'd gotten off the bus after it had driven him to Gaara's neighborhood. All he had to do was walk, oh, four blocks down and he'd be there at his friend's place. It was the walking part that got him. He'd walked one block and then… nothing. He couldn't remember anything else after that. What had happened?

Naruto was currently lying on a soft, comfortable bed in a dark room that held no windows and no other furnishings other than the bed. He'd awoken only five or some odd minutes ago to find himself in this room and, shockingly, found himself…well… Way under-dressed. He was in nothing more but the suit he'd been given at birth. And he would have done something to cover himself up, but that was the problem he was now facing. He couldn't move. His hands were cuffed up to the metal headboard of the bed, but not only that, his body felt… numb. Like, an extreme case of laziness had hit him or something and his body just wouldn't move when he commanded himself to do so.

'I'm in deep shit,' were his thoughts as he stared wide-eyed up at the dark ceiling above _th_e bed. 'I'm in deep, _deep_ shit. What am I gonna do..?'

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the door was opened a minute after silently asking himself that, giving him a leeway of not having to do anything after all. Naruto let his blue peepers follow the line of light that flowed into the room, blinking rapidly at the brightness so that his eyes could adjust better, and he spotted a tall man walking into the room, blocking out most of the light with his structure.

"Ku ku ku…" Listening to the quiet laughter was like listening to a snake in the dark. It was creepy as hell. "So you finally awake, my precious little blond-haired friend… How are you? Whoozy? Nauseous? Feeling… breezy?" More of that snake-like hissing laughter filled the air and the door was closed, pitching the room into darkness where Naruto could barely see the man now.

Who was, currently, trying to not hyperventilate in his sudden panic. He was completely freaked out and there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run and hide from this… strange as hell man. Who was he? Where the hell were they? Why the hell was he here and not walking to Gaara's?

"Do not worry, my precious… I'm going to treat you real nice now. You're going to be feeling good with my treatment…" His laughter had no effect of calming the blond, however, only making things feel worse for the young male. But that wasn't it. No, it wasn't the only thing causing Naruto to struggle fruitlessly against his restraints. Why was the man moving closer to the bed? Why could he see movements in the dark made by the man and hear the rustling of clothes being tossed to the floor as they were being taken off? This was not good, I repeat, _not_. _Good_.

"Wh-who the fuck are you?" Naruto stammered out, still struggling against his restraints. He was determined to get out of them.

"Ku ku ku, why have need to know my name, my precious? We're going to be introduced to another in the most intimate of acts… My name will soon be the least of your worries." The man cackled and then there was a dip on the bed. Naruto tried to scoot his body away with the help of his feet, but his heavy body felt too sluggish to do it right. The blonde's fear spiked as the man placed a hand, a cold hand mind you, on top of his bared stomach, causing the blond to shudder uncomfortably. "My name, however, is Orochimaru. You better remember it for I'm gonna have _fun_ playing with you, _Na_-_ru_-_to._"

Naruto's eyes grew huge. How did he know his name? Did he go through his wallet? Fuck! He was so screwed. He had his social security card in there and quite a bit of money in there. And there was also-_Holy crap what the hell was he doing with his hand?_

The man, Orochimaru, moved his hand downwards and promptly cupped his balls. Naruto felt himself freeze and he stared wide-eyed at him as the man made another snake-like chuckle under his breath. "Oh, _yesss_… This is indeed going to be fun." He murmured, ignoring the whimper that passed through the blonde's lips.

'How did it come to this..? Why is this happening?' Naruto thought, feeling his eyes begin to tear up. 'Sasuke… Help me…'

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

A shiver ran down Sasuke's back as he looked down beneath the couch, searching for the fuzz ball that had smacked him across the face not too long ago. The damn cat would not stop meowing from wherever he was at and it was pissing him the hell off. But the shiver caused him to pause. He sat up and took a look around the room with a weirded out look. Something wasn't right. Why did it suddenly feel so… ominous in here?

Another meow filled the air, cutting the raven-haired man from his thoughts. He scowled and ducked again to look under the couch.

"C'mere kitty, kitty, kitty… I'm not gonna hurt you… Or strangle you… Or bite your tail… C'mere, kitty-kity…" He grinned wickedly, silently wondering if there were any family recipes on the use of cat meat in the kitchen…

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

"I'm sorry… I don't know what I did to you, Sir, but, please… Let me go. We'll forget this ever happened. I'll leave and I won't tell anyone about this if you let me go. Please." Naruto pleaded with the man as he watched helplessly as Orochimaru's silhouetted figure moved around him and wedged himself in between the blonde's legs after prying the tanned legs apart.

"You caught my interest, Narr-uto," Orochimaru rolled the 'r' in the younger man's name as he placed his cold, spindly hands on tanned hips. "I saw you walking down the street earlier, streams of tears dripping deliciously down your whiskered face. I just looove me a beautiful blond. And with your complexion? Drop dead gorgeous. I could not help it. I just had to have you for myself. Just think, you're going to be even more beautiful with your legs wrapped around my hips, crying out my name as I put you through the roughest ride of your life. Pleasure?" The man barked out a laugh, rubbing his hands up and down Naruto's sides as if to calm him. It did nothing for the blond except frighten him further. "You have never known the true meaning of it. Today, however… Right now… You will know. Oh, you will know and I shall be the one to make sure of it."

Naruto paled and yelped out in shock when his manhood was abruptly yanked upon. "Wait! I-I'll do whatever you want, just-please! Don't-don't do this!" Naruto begged while the pale man let him go before placing his hands under the blonde's knees, moving them up and parting them further away from another. Naruto tried to struggle against the hand cuffs again, but the attempt at getting free was completely futile and it only made Orochimaru laugh.

"Brace yourself, Naruto." Was the only warning the blond got when something prodded at his ass entrance. Then came the absolute agony.

Sasuke had never forced himself onto Naruto and neither had anyone else before now. This left Naruto in a world of unknown hurt when the man entered him dry in one hard thrust. A scream tore its way through the younger man's throat and continued to echo through the small room as he was being ripped from the inside. It hurt, dear gods did it hurt. Naruto's hands were clenched so hard that his nails begin to cut into flesh, letting trails of blood drip down his arms. His teeth gritted, his jaw clenching, as if to hold back the pain, but nothing helped him when the ridiculously huge cock (did he take an overdose of Viagra?) was shoved into him over and over again, leaving him no room to have a break from the endless pain.

But what was much worse than being torn from the inside was the man leaning down and crushing their lips together. He forced entry into Naruto's mouth and plowed through the young man's hot, wet cavern. Orochimaru did not taste good whatsoever. It was like he'd eaten a garlic and onion casserole with a side order of rotten eggs right before coming into the room. Naruto tried to move his head away from being ravished like this, but one pale hand came from his left knee and gripped his chin to keep him in place. Naruto whimpered, tears once again streaming down his face. How had a day like today end up being like this?

His prostate was hit a moment later when Orochimaru moved his hips at a different angle and Naruto's body spazzed, though not in a good way. How could it be good? He was being raped for Gods' sake! Yet the raping bit didn't deter Orochimaru from grabbing hold of Naruto's dick and pumping it to life. There was no pleasure. The stimulation was just that. Stimulation. But it made the poor blond feel dirty nonetheless. The tears fell harder and he felt like he was choking on his sobs that racketed his body as his ass was pummeled over and over again.

What felt like years later that was probably really only minutes later, Naruto felt his stomach tighten. Not even a moment later, he came and with that, so did the pale fuck above him. Orochimaru moaned loudly, panting and smirking, and he fell onto Naruto after his release was complete.

"Fuck… You were brilliant…" Orochimaru panted into the blonde's ear, threading his long fingers into blond strands as he slowly came down from his high.

Naruto, panting and hurting all over, said nothing. He squinted up at the dark ceiling above them feeling gross and sticky and utterly _dirty_. His body felt heavy again, but sleeping was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He wanted to go home. He needed Sasuke. 'Oh my god, Sasuke.' Naruto's eyes refilled with tears as he thought about his lover and best friend. What was he going to say to him? 'I got raped. I was violated. Gods… Fuck my life, why don'tcha?' Naruto closed his eyes as his breathing grew more ragged. He was not going to hyperventilate. But for fuck's sake, who wouldn't?

"…Let… Let me go now… You got what.. What you wanted," Naruto said hoarsely, choking back another sob as he struggled to keep up a composure of calmness. "You don't need me anymore…"

"…Kukuku.." Laughter filled the air, sending an uneasy feeling down Naruto's body. "Let you go?" More hissing. "Who says we're finished with you yet?"

"'We'?" Naruto weakly repeated just as the door to the room was reopened. The two on the bed glanced towards the beam of light that filled the room to see two figures in the doorway.

"Oi, Orochimaru. We get our turn now or what? Hurry the fuck up!" A rough voice demanded.

Orochimaru laughed once again, then slowly pulled out from Naruto's bleeding arse as he said," He's all yours, boys. He's so tight. He's ready for you."

The two figures whooped and walked further into the room as Orochimaru slipped off from the bed.

"Hell yeah! We heard him through the walls-he's a screamer, alright. I bet we'll get him to be even louder-we sure like it rough, after all."

"Fuck yeah we do."

Naruto's eyes widened. Not again. They were going to do what the first fucker had done-but worse, it seemed! He just wanted to go home! He struggled frantically against the cuffs as much as he possibly could despite the agony his body felt in doing so. But it was too late. The two men were buck naked and they were descending upon him like ravenous beasts.

Screams filled the air.

Blood was spilt.

And Naruto became a broken spirit.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

Last chapter I had Poor Naru in pain..

I hope y'all aren't mad at me for that… _;;

Enjoy!

**Summary**: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."

**Disclaime**r: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

**Warnings**: YAOI-menxmen, angst, mature intent, language, OCC-ness, of course.. And, there ain't no plot, there's no real reason for this besides the smut-though there'll be more in the next and final chapter.

_**Take the Pain Away**_

It could have been nearing midnight by the time Naruto woke up. He couldn't tell. All he knew was that it was still dark as hell in the room he was in, his body was in agony, and he was utterly naked. And with the feeling of being sticky everywhere and crusted with dried fluids in certain areas, he was extremely uncomfortable. Ah, and he couldn't forget the soreness from his arms. They'd been handcuffed to the bed headboard for only the Gods knew how long and they ached. He could already safely assume that his wrists would be black and blue from trying to tug them free throughout the entire time he was there. He probably looked like a mess. He sure felt like it.

He'd fallen unconsciousness after the men who had raped him had gotten their fill. When he had waked up next, he found himself alone in his dark imprisonment. Still, unfortunately, locked up to the bed. His thoughts were in a flurry, unable to untangle itself from the mass of confusion, the hurt, and the pain it was running amuck on. It took him awhile to sort it all out and, since he obviously had enough time to do so, he was now able to think a bit more clearly.

So, right now, he was assessing the pain in his body and wondering when he was going to be able to take a shower to get rid of the dirtiness that covered him.

Though, he knew that, in the back of his mind, this was just calmness before the storm. His emotional state was on the brink of hysterics, crumbling ever so slowly. It was probably just the shock that was keeping him level-headed at the moment.

"Hey! You can't go in there! What do you thi-?" Thud.

Naruto slowly moved his head so that it faced the door to the room, slightly intrigued by the sudden noises outside the room. Whoever had fallen, probably the man that had been yelling just seconds before, had fallen silent. Why was that? It made him even the more curious when the doorknob was turned and the door swung open, revealing a man, a shorter one compared to the guys that had been in here earlier, standing there in the doorway. But because of the bright light outside and the darkness from within the room, Naruto could not tell a single feature of the newcomer. It made him wince and he tried to scoot away to the other side of the bed, but he could barely lift a finger, so he just laid there, trembling. He was scared, scared that he was going to be raped again, taken advantage of by this newcomer.

He watched as the shorter man walked in long strides over to the bed, flinching horribly when a feather-light touch of a cold hand was placed on his cheek. However, his eyes snapped open when the man opened his mouth and whispered his name in an extremely familiar voice.

"Naruto…"

The said blond hesitantly glanced up to where the man's face was, damning the darkness of the room for making him unable to see the newcomer's face. "G-Gaara?" He hoarsely whispered back, wincing at the soreness in his throat. He'd screamed an awful lot when the other men had used him. It reminded him of how dirty he was.

"Yeah, it's me," his friend replied, talking quietly as if not to startle the blond.

"Wh-what are you d-doing here?" Naruto asked, whimpering slightly when he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. He froze when the hand on his cheek disappeared and looked back up to where his friend's face was.

"Gods above…" The red-head whispered, shaking his head by the looks of it. "What have they done to you?"

Something like a pair of keys jingled in the air close by, then Naruto felt a pair of gentle hands come into contact with where his own were handcuffed. He winced, but, otherwise, kept completely still as his friend worked on setting his hands free. When the handcuffs were finally taken off, the blonde's hands fell lifelessly besides his head, blood finally, slowly, circulating back into them. The tingles from his arms being asleep creeped all up his limbs, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. He really hated that feeling. It bugged the crap out of him. All he wanted to do was rub the feeling away, but his arms felt too heavy to do so.

"Naruto?" Gaara's voice brought the blonde's attention back up to him, but the red-head could tell that his friend was completely out of it. He was barely responding, wasn't talking anymore. This was bad. He'd never seen the blond so… fragile, before. It was a frightening thought that maybe the blond was so traumatized that he'd hidden into himself. But it was understandable, so Gaara wasted no more time in wrapping his friend up into a sheet and picking him up. "I'm going to take you home now, Naruto… You're safe now, okay?" The red-head soothed to the blond as he carefully, yet quickly, walked out of the room.

Naruto scrunched his eyes closed at the brightness of the new room Gaara had taken them into. Then he peeked out through squinty eyes around the place recognizing it as some kind of living room with couches, old pizza boxes lying about, and a TV in one corner. It kind of stunk some, too, but Naruto kept that opinion to himself, silently wondering who the place belonged to. It was then, after looking around the room, that he saw the two guys that had used him most recently sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the room, bleeding from multiple injuries and unconscious by the looks of it.

"G-Gaara?" Naruto whispered, looking up at his friend questioningly. "Did you..?"

Minty-colored eyes glanced down to meet azure peepers, then glanced away again as the red-head continued to walk across the room towards a door. "Hn. Of course I did. Who else would have? Casper?" He sarcastically asked, though his quiet voice did not get louder even once.

Naruto took one more look at the men on the floor, then looked away and said no more. They were the two who had used him last. They deserved what they got and so much more. He didn't care what happened to them now. 'I hope they rot in hell,' were the blonde's thoughts as Gaara walked them out of the foul-smelling house and out into the dark outdoors. The stars were out and the full moon was high above their heads. Naruto looked up at Gaara's face one more time, wondering what time it was. But after opening his mouth to ask, he decided against it. Who cared what time it was? It was dark. It was nighttime. That was all he needed to know. So he closed his mouth and, instead of asking his former question, he laid his head against his friend's chest and closed his eyes. He was so tired. And his body hurt and felt heavy. Maybe it'd be okay to fall asleep…?

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

Sasuke abruptly woke up at the sound of fierce knocking at the front door. He shot up into a sitting position and groggily looked around, barely acknowledging the fact that he had fallen asleep on the couch where he had been waiting for Naruto to come home. The cat he'd adopted as an apology gift for the said blond looked up at him with a blinking gaze, curled up next to him on the cushion of the couch. It yawned at him, then rested his head back down on his front paws, clearly stating that he needed more sleep. The raven-haired man yawned himself, then looked at his watch, reading that it was 12:34am. He scowled. Who the hell would be visiting at this time of night? Seriously?

The knocking grew more incessant and Sasuke glared up at the door as he reluctantly pushed himself off the couch.

"Alright, already. Quit knocking! I'm coming." He growled in irritation, a dark cloud forming over his head as he walked towards the door. When he reached it, he opened it to find a very pissed off Gaara standing there, holding a huge bundle in his arms. "Subaku? What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Sasuke demanded, scowling darkly at the red-head as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Minty eyes glared right back at him, but somehow made his fierce look more venomous than the Uchiha's. "I should gut you right now and hang you by your testicles from the ceiling, Uchiha." He lowly growled, standing there just as still as a statue. Then the bundle in his arms shifted. Sasuke caught the movement and stared in surprise when a shock of yellow hair peeked out from the covers of the sheet.

"What the-? Subaku, is that-?" He glared up at Gaara in confusion, but not before the red-head shoved the raven out of the way and walked into the apartment. "Subaku! Fucking twit, answer me, dammit!" He cursed at the younger male as he stomped after Gaara, following him to wherever he was going. Which lead them to the bathroom situated in the master bedroom. Why they were now in there, he had no idea. If he thought about taking a shower, Sasuke swore he was going to go bat-shit crazy on his ass, Naruto's friend or not be damned.

"Answering you would mean having to waste my time and effort, Uchiha." Growled the red-head," now get out before I slit your throat."

"What the fu-!" Sasuke started to say, but then froze when he saw the sheet being pulled down after Gaara had carefully placed the person onto the counter. There, wrapped up in a flimsy sheet and looking worse for wear, was a sleeping Naruto. Wait, no, blue eyes fluttered open, so Sasuke smartly concluded that he was awake, and dull blue eyes took a slow, measured glance around the room, his eyes glazed and unseeing. What was wrong with him? He looked so out of it… Sasuke quickly made his way over and he moved his hands to cup his lover's cheeks, whispering," Naruto?"

Glassy blue eyes looked back at him, but they were distant, almost as if the blond was awake, but only barely.

Sasuke's eyes slowly trailed down his blonde's face to his chest and further down. The sheet pooled around his waist, covering up his lower body and his privates, but it didn't matter. Dried substances were all over his dobe's body and most of it was easily identified by the raven. Someone had laid a hand on Naruto and it took all his willpower not to start strangling Gaara, demanding for answers all the while. He calmly looked over at the red-head and quite evenly asked," what happened?" If his voice wavered in anger, then neither of the men bothered to mention it.

"I was out heading for home from work." Gaara stated, scowling up at the raven. He worked at a bar only a few blocks from home, so he never really bothered with driving his car, it saved gas that way. "I heard some measly lowlifes talking about nabbing a blond male from the side of the road a few hours before and they were boasting about how great a lay he was. Then they started talking about the blonde's looks-scars of whiskers on his cheeks, bluest eyes they'd ever seen, and tanned skin… Only an idiot wouldn't have known they were talking about Naruto." He scoffed, rolling his eyes. Sasuke was just slightly amazed at how much the guy was talking. He'd never heard him speak so much in one sitting. It had to be a new record, or something. "So I got them to take me to where they had him."

"How?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I have my ways," Gaara narrowed his own.

"Fine." Sasuke shrugged. Who cared how he got there, so long as he got there the time he had. "Who did this to him?"

"Orochimaru." Gaara spat the name out like it was poison on his tongue, looking angrier at the mention of the evil man. "And some of his cronies."

"I'll fucking kill them." Sasuke growled, looking back at his semi-conscious lover.

"Unless you want to break into jail to do so and possibly go to jail yourself, then I wouldn't." Gaara's voice held a bit of pleased malice to it, his words bringing up a devious smirk on the raven's face as well.

"Good. I hope they rot there." Sasuke growled savagely. Then he looked at Naruto and his eyes softened sadly. He hugged the blond close to his body, closing his eyes. "Dammit. I wasn't there to protect him." He muttered, silently berating himself for his stupidity.

"Yeah, well, be there for him now. He's going to need it." Gaara said, concerned for his friend. "Call me tomorrow when he's awake. I want to know he's safe here. If I don't hear from you, then I'll be here later tomorrow and I won't be happy."

Sasuke merely hn'ed at the red-head, eyes still closed. So Gaara took his leave, casting one more glance at his blond friend with worry in his minty eyes. When the front door was opened and then closed, Sasuke opened his eyes and carefully leaned away from his lover, reassessing the blonde's appearance. Red briefly entered his vision from pure rage, then he shook it off and he slowly unwrapped the sheet from Naruto's body with gentle hands. Beneath the cover was worse, but Sasuke managed not to growl out loud. If he _ever_ met this Orochimaru-bastard, he was going to fucking kill the man through a long and horrible, painful process. How _dare_ he touch somebody else's lover? Especially Sasuke's! The nerve of that bastard!

"Mmn…" Naruto shifted in his sleep, causing the raven to freeze, his eyes trained on Naruto's face. The blond was frowning, but from what, Sasuke had no clue. "Nn… S-…S-Sasuke…" The broken whimper of his name jabbed at the raven's heart. His voice was rough, scratchy almost, from misuse. It sounded like it was painful. And it made Sasuke think… He'd caused this. Sasuke had. If he hadn't of let Naruto go, if he hadn't of accused the blond of lying, then none of this would have happened.

Sasuke bowed his head. How could he have done this? _Why_? He truly was a cold-hearted bastard, just as Naruto had told him earlier in the day.

'There's nothing you can do to change what has already happened…' Sasuke looked back up slowly, a look of anguish on his features. 'What you _can_ do, however, is make sure he's comfortable. So get to it, you dumbass.' Onyx eyes slowly glanced over his blond lover's body and he tried to assess the damage so that he knew what he'd have to do to fix his injuries. His lover's cheeks and his wrists were battered up pretty bad with blooming blues and blacks of bruises. Compared to his cheeks, however, Naruto's wrists had gone through something worse by the looks of it. Had he been handcuffed at one point? Gods, it looked painful.

But, truthfully, Sasuke couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. Most of it was waist down and flecks of it were up across his torso. He had clearly been bleeding, but where was the injury? From the only place down yonder that was... out of sight? I mean, Sasuke was truly trying his best not to think of what happened-he felt like a coward for it, but he was scared.

'He needs to be washed off.' Sasuke shook his head to clear it (A/N: can you tell that I can't make up my mind? xD), then, pushing the sheets further out of the way, Sasuke gathered the blond into his arms effortlessly and turned towards the bath tub. In his arms, Naruto shifted some, whispering Sasuke's name again in his rough and scratchy voice, but he didn't wake up. Sasuke placed him into the tub, plugged it, then turned on the water, filling the tub with warm water, not too hot, but not cold, either. Just the right temperature. The water went right up to Naruto's chest before Sasuke decided to turn the water off, then he grabbed a cloth from nearby and a bar of soap from the ledge across from him. He lathered the cloth up and then began to bath his lover, keeping his ministrations soothing and gentle.

The bath water grew a light tint of red from the blood and Sasuke washed off the other body fluids along with the blood as he went. He saved his lover's pelvic area for last, hesitating on the thought of having to do it. Would he hurt his lover by bathing him down there? It didn't take a genius to know that the area there would be raw and painful.

Having to make a choice was delayed, however, when the blond in the tub shifted and then froze. Blue eyes fluttered open to reveal a dull gaze, glazed both from sleep and from something else…

"Wha-…?" He muttered in confusion, trying to sit up more, but cringing when pain shot throughout his abused body. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, eyes squeezed shut as he stilled in the water, brows furrowed down in concentration.

Sasuke watched his lover with a deer caught in the headlights look, holding the cloth in midair and his body frozen in his crouching position. Mouth slightly parted, Sasuke lowered the cloth to the edge of the tub and gulped. "N-Naruto..?" He whispered cautiously, hoping not to scare the blond.

Blue eyes shot open at the sound of the raven's voice and Naruto stared at the older man with an oddly blank look for a moment. There was silence between the two, tension building between them, and Naruto had to look away. Confusion swept across his face as he looked at the tiled wall to his left, he was clearly thinking. He raised his hands from the water and looked down at them, blinking owlishly as red-tinted water dripped down back into the tub. He flipped his hands over, scrutinizing the bruises with a strange look of wonder. Then his eyes widened and horror filled his face.

"…!" Naruto looked back up at Sasuke with tears filling his eyes, his mouth parted and fear so plain that it hurt to see.

"It's alright, Naruto. Please don't be scared," Sasuke quickly reassured the younger man, dropping the cloth and reaching over to take hold of the blonde's hands, gripping them tightly. He looked at him with plea, his eyes scrunched up in his own fear. "You're home, you're okay now."

"S-Sasuke-! Oh my god, Sasuke! They-!" Naruto choked over a sob and he practically threw himself at his raven-haired lover, hissing at the pain coursing through his body and crying harder for what had happened to him. The water splashed at him, but Sasuke returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around the blonde's wet waist as Naruto wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face against Sasuke's neck, sobbing like crazy. "Th-they h-hurt me and I-I-I couldn't s-st-stop them! I-I was so, _so _scared, Sasuke!" He whispered that last sentence through his panic-stricken and still rough from misuse voice. He pressed his body hard against Sasuke across the tub and hyperventilating horribly, though obviously trying to take heavy breathes to calm himself. It wasn't helping.

"Shh, Naruto. It's alright, you're safe now. You're home. I'm here." Sasuke whispered back, though panicking just as well. He was never really good at the comfort thing. It was so awkward. But in his current situation, Sasuke couldn't think of anything else to do. He started rubbing his frightened lover's wet back in soothing circles with his hands and he pressed the side of his head to Naruto's blond hair, staring at the wall sitting across from him where the tub was pushed up against. Was he doing this right? What should he do next?

"S-Sasuke…"

"Mhm?"

"Please… Please don't leave me…" Naruto whispered it so quietly that Sasuke nearly missed it. But he indeed caught what the blond said and it caused his chest to hurt even further.

"I'm not going to leave you." He reassured firmly, holding the blond even closer to him as if trying to meld him into him. "I'm so fucking sorry, Naruto. I'll never turn my back on you again. I'm so sorry."

Naruto remained silent after that and, for awhile, they just sat there in each other's embrace, just staring off into space, thinking about the words still ringing in their ears…

_**TBC**_

_Alright. Stay in tuned for the next chapter._

_Has it become lame?_

_Yeah, I can imagine y'all thinking exactly so._

_Sorry~_

_Smut next chapter, freak accident leading to death to certain character, and then the end._

_Whoot._


	4. Chapter 4

Final chapter!

**Summary**: "Take the pain away, Sasuke. Make me forget." "How?" "Show me how much you love me."

**Disclaime**r: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

**Warnings**: YAOI-menxmen, angst, mature intent, language, OCC-ness, of course. And this chapter… is.. like.. comfort sex? Sooo… Enjoy..?

_**Take the Pain Away**_

"_I'm not going to leave you." He reassured firmly, holding the blond even closer to him as if trying to meld him to him. "I'm so fucking sorry, Naruto. I'll never turn my back on you again. I'm so sorry."_

_Naruto remained silent after that and, for awhile, they just sat there in each other's embrace, just staring off into space, thinking about the words said still ringing in their ears…_

Sasuke was the first to wake up a few hours later. He and Naruto were cuddled up on the bed in their bedroom, so all he had to do was look over to the nightstand to see the blinking alarm clock. Fortunately, it was on silent mode, so the alarm didn't wake up the sleeping blond. Unfortunately, it was 6:54 am. Way too damn early to be awake, especially considering the two men hadn't gone to bed till around three. He groaned inwardly and plopped his head back down on his pillow. This was clearly not going to be a good day.

Earlier, Sasuke had managed to calm down the blond somehow. They didn't talk about what happened to the blond for it was much too early, too fresh in mind for the blond to say anything. So, Sasuke helped the blond wash off. Surprisingly, Naruto had allowed the raven to join him in a shower and help him completely cleanse himself. By doing so, Sasuke eventually found where all the blood had been coming from. It made him livid. Yet he managed to keep his anger in check quite well, not wanting to frighten his lover any further than the blond already was by the days' events. After they washed, Sasuke dried Naruto and dressed him before doing it to himself, then they went directly to bed.

And nooow, that is where Sasuke finds himself. In bed with his beautiful blond lover, and staring at the blonde's angelic sleeping face. Naruto was curled up in a fetal position against Sasuke with his head against Sasuke's shoulder, his hair all over the place. His lips were slightly parted, letting out soft snores every now and then, and his eyes fluttered as he slept. He was probably having some kind of dream, but Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to wake the other male up. Who knew? It could have been a good dream the dobe was having. If it were bad, the blond would probably start whimpering or something, anything to show that he was scared. If those signs started to show, then Sasuke would wake him. But, until then? Sasuke let him sleep.

If only he, _Sasuke_, would fall asleep, too… Grrr…

_Scritch_…

Sasuke glanced around, but brushed whatever that was off. He really, _really_ wanted some shut eye. If only he could drift off again…

_Scriitch_… Scri…

What the-? Sasuke glanced around. The noise stopped. What was that? He waited a moment, but the noise seemed to have gone away for good, so he settled back and returned his gaze to Naruto's sleeping face. Whatever it was, it was gone now…

A mere minute later…

_Scriitch_, _sciitch_, _scratch_.

Sasuke jerked his eyes towards the door to the room and stared. Luckily, it was closed. But that was definitely not nothing. Nor did it go away. What the fuck? Did they have rats?

_Scriiiiiiiiitch_…

Naruto's face scrunched up a bit at the noise and immediately, Sasuke began to move. The noise maker was going to die, whatever it was, if it woke the blond up. He'd make sure of it. And so, the raven carefully moved away from the slumbering man and got up to his feet off the bed, watching his lover's face and the slight shiver made along the blonde's body at the sudden chill. When it was clear he wasn't about to wake up, Sasuke turned away and walked quickly to the door just as more scratching noises started to sound behind and on the door. It was getting frantic which in turn made Sasuke hastily yank the door open to see what the hell was going on. A black blur streaked into the room, circling around his legs, and zoomed to hide beneath the bed. Sasuke, eyes wide in wonder, twirled around to watch it go under and he stared for a moment, still trying to let his mind catch up. Sleep was still on his mind, so he was a bit slow on the uptake of things.

After a stand-still moment, he walked cautiously over to the bed and crouched down, then got to his hands and knees to look under the bed. It was still dark in the room-the curtains were drawn over the windows and the lights were turned off- but he was still able to see the small, trembling mass under the bed. Sasuke crouched there utterly confused for a second before realization dawned on him. That was no rat. That was the cat Sasuke had adopted for Naruto as an apology! Crap! He'd totally forgotten about the damn thing!

Making some soft, cat smacking-like noises, Sasuke held a hand out for the animal and flexed his fingers. The poor thing was probably hungry. Considering he'd totally forgotten about it, Sasuke had also forgotten to leave food and water out for it. And there were no doubts that there was probably a "present" or two left out in the hallway that he'd have to clean up later… Damnit. Stupid thing.

"Sasu..?"

Freezing in mid-pose, Sasuke stared at the trembling mass only three feet in front of him. Had he heard Naruto…?

"S-Sasuke?" Hints of fear accompanied a husky from sleep voice and the sound of blankets being thrown met the raven's ears. It was the fear, however, that had Sasuke trying to move out, though banging his head against the bottom of the bed in the process.

"Ow!" The raven-haired man hissed while hastily scooting out backwards. He hadn't noticed he had started to crawl in under the bed for the cat till just now and that alone made him wonder how big of an idiot he was. Once out, he moved up to his knees quickly and peered over the edge of the bed, up into the face of his lover's.

"Wh-what were you doing?" Naruto asked in a whispering voice, his eyes wide and fearful. It was clear that he'd thought that Sasuke had left him, had broken the fierce promise he'd made earlier.

"I was trying to get the damn cat," Sasuke answered truthfully, giving the man an apologetic look. "Did I wake you?"

Naruto shook his head, but his eyes had lost the fear and were now round with wonder. "Cat?" He asked so innocently that it tugged at Sasuke's heart strings. "What cat?"

Sasuke smiled secretively at the blond and held up a finger. "Hold on." Was all he said before ducking back under the bed. This time, he was going to get that damn thing. Even if it scratched the hell out of him like a bitch. Surprisingly, the cat crawled towards his outstretched hand just as submissive as ever. It was a pleasant surprise, especially because it meant he wasn't going to be used as a scratching post. He pulled the kitten to him and cuddled it to his chest as he eased his way back out from beneath the bed, then he got up to his knees and looked up to find Naruto peering curiously over the bed at him. He smiled gently at the blond and carefully held the tiny kitten out for his lover to take. He even chuckled some when the blond looked at him with wide eyes as if asking if it was really alright.

"Go ahead, Naru," Sasuke softly said, nodding encouraging to the man.

After his lover nodded reassuringly, a hesitant smile spread across the blonde's face and he reached out for the kitten, taking it from the raven's gentle grasp and then bringing the kitten close to his own chest. He started cooing at the pet while his blue hues lowered down to look at the fuzz ball. Pure delight on his face made Sasuke smile as well, pleased to have made him feel like so. It was good to see the blond smile even after something so horrendous happening not even a day ago.

"Ne, Sasuke..?"

Brought out of his short reverie, Sasuke looked back to the blonde's blue eyes and raised a brow questioningly. "Hm?"

Naruto tried to suppress a wicked grin, but failed miserably. "This kitten is gray." He said, tilting his head cutely as he glanced down at the animal in his arms before looking back up at Sasuke, his eyes glittering somewhat. "How come I… Couldn't get the orange kitty with the black face?"

Giving him a dumbfounded expression, Sasuke's gaze slowly traveled down to the kitten in Naruto's arms. It was purring like mad, rubbing its face against Naruto's chest. As Sasuke continued to stare at it, the small bundle of fur looked up at him, blinked, and meowed at him. "That's not the one you wanted?" He asked slowly, looking back up at Naruto's face with a blank look. He'd made a mistake? A cat was just a cat, but Naruto had said differently?

"Nuh-uh," The blond shook his head. "I wanted the kitten with the black face and orange body. His black face reminded me of your hair and the orange is my favorite color!"

Sasuke sweat-dropped like a chibi in a manga and rolled his eyes at his lover's childish reasoning. Then he popped out of the manga state and asked," Will this cat do instead? I mean, they're both the same animal, just different colors." He shrugged," Plus, they're both in need of homes, so it's fine-."

"Does that mean we can have two kittens?!" Naruto excitedly asked, his eyes brightening considerably and a huge smile appearing like the sun over the horizon. Damn, but it was bright.

Sasuke held back the urge to shield his eyes and he eyed his boyfriend with a dubious look. "I.. Don't think that's a good idea, Naruto. Just one cat is already a huge responsibility…"

The look of absolute joy on the blonde's face faded and he looked down at the gray kitten in his arms, a sad expression slowly appearing. "Oh… Well… Okay." He mumbled, holding the cat closer to his face as he stroked the cat's silky fur.

'Daammiiit,' Was Sasuke's one thought as he stared at his sad boyfriend, his heart tightening in his chest. "But…"

Blue eyes returned their focus to Sasuke's, a hint of confused curiosity in them. "What?"

Sasuke pursed his lips into a tight line for a moment, staring hard at the blond, his chest still aching. Why was trying to be kind so hard for him? It should be easy, especially to someone as special and close as Naruto was to him! "I-… We can get the cat… Later… If you're that hyped up about it…" Sasuke mumbled, looking away with a slight scowl. Damn, he sounded stupid.

"…Really?" Naruto curiously asked, peering at the raven closely, brows scrunching down.

Sasuke nodded his head mechanically, resembling a robot almost and he mumbled a "yeah" just to strengthen his promise. Then he looked back at Naruto with a small timid smile. "Whatever you want, Naruto… I'll get it for you, no matter what it is." Then he got up to his feet with a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his head with his eyes closed. "It's early. Go back to sleep for now, Naruto. I'll have breakfast waiting for you once you wake up, alright?"

Blue eyes slightly widened at the implication of Sasuke leaving the room, but the raven didn't catch the reaction. He had already turned his back and was heading towards the door. A tanned hand rose as if to catch the leaving man, but then it clenched and fell back to the covers as the kitten was held tightly. Sasuke left the room without a second glance backwards, leaving Naruto behind on the bed. Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but his mouth slackened.

"Okay.. Sasuke…" Naruto murmured, ignoring the kitten's meow as he watched the raven walk out of their bedroom. "Okay…" His head fell and his bangs hid the tears swimming in blue eyes. He squeezed them shut in order to keep the tears at bay. Despite knowing that Sasuke was merely a few meters away and still in the same place as he, Naruto felt alone. And the way Sasuke was acting… Was it out of pity that Sasuke was acting the way he was? Naruto, biting his lower lip, held back a sob and his shoulders shook at the need to cry. He wanted Sasuke to stay near, but he didn't want him to do it out of pity. But, he just couldn't say anything to bring the raven back into the room. There was a small part in the back of his mind that made him think… What if Sasuke thought him as disgusting now? He was used… Dirtied by another man. Would that mean Sasuke wouldn't want him anymore?

"Meow?"

Naruto opened blurry eyes to look down at the gray kitten in his arms. It wasn't squirming to be let go, but merely looking back up at him with big cutesy eyes and showing off curiosity. A wobbly smile lifted the ends of Naruto's lips for a split second before it slipped off into a crooked frown. Then his face screwed up as the quiet sobs wracked his body, making his hold on the kitten tighten against his chest as he hunched over, sniffling and coughing some. The cat started purring and rubbing its small face against his cheek as if to sooth his worries, but it didn't help any. What he wanted was for Sasuke to come back and to hold him, to tell him he still loved him, no matter what. But maybe that was just too much to ask for..?

*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*w*

Back in the kitchen, Sasuke was leaning forwards on his hands which braced him against the counter, his dark eyes unseeingly staring down at the tiled flooring. Guilt was eating at him from the inside out and he just didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold Naruto like he had earlier, but he was… Afraid… He didn't want Naruto to be scared of him, or fear him for any other reason. The terrified expression from earlier had been burned into Sasuke's mind, never to be erased from his every waking moment. If that look was ever pointed to him _because_ of him, he wouldn't know what he would do. Die, probably. He needed Naruto like he needed air-though as sappy as that was, it was true. Naruto was his daily dose of sunshine, his only escape from reality.

'So what do I do now?' Sasuke asked himself, shaking his head.

"Hiiss!" Went the sound of a small creature near his feet a few seconds later and then Sasuke yelped in shock when something with sharp, baby pointy teeth nipped at his ankle.

"What the-?!" Sasuke jumped away as his eyes shot towards the ground, only to see the gray kitten all fuzzed up and glaring at him. He stared at the thing with a perplexed expression on his face. He didn't even know cats could look like that. What had he done now? He fed the damn thing, didn't he? What more could it want?

Once having his attention, the kitten hissed again and then turned tail and galloped out of the tiny kitchenette, it's fluffed out tail twitching in the air behind him. Sasuke watched it go, then reluctantly followed it. It probably left yet another present somewhere and wanted to present it to him as if some sort of accomplishment. Who knew? Maybe it was something a little less messy? Maybe the damn thing found his missing sock? Very unlikely, but-.

No. That is not where the cat led him to. Sasuke found himself following the cat back to his and Naruto's bedroom. Had something happened? Why was the cat being so canine-like? Sasuke's pace hastened a bit as the inside of their room came into sight and what he saw on the bed made his heart break just a bit. What he hadn't wanted to happen was happening. Naruto was crying again.

"Naruto?" Sasuke ran the rest of the way and climbed up onto the bed, reaching out to rest his hands on Naruto's shoulders. He couldn't help but hesitate a bit before allowing himself to touch the other, though. He was scared of frightening the blond, after all. "Naruto, what's wrong? Talk to me, love."

At the mention of the 'L' word, the blonde's shoulders jerked and a particular sob was loud. "D-Don't…" Naruto coughed a bit and he bowed his head further and covered his face with his hands. "Please…"

"Don't? Don't what, Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a soothing voice, closing the distance between them as he hugged the blond to his chest, resting his chin on top of his head. As soon as he did, however, he was shoved away. Surprised, Sasuke allowed the action and he fell heavily onto the bed, staring at Naruto as if he'd grown a second ass.

"Don't call me 'love'! Just don't!" The blue-eyed blond shouted in his sudden anger, glaring through his tears at the fallen raven. "I know what you think of me now! I'm disgusting, aren't I? That's why you won't touch me right like you did before! You can't love someone you pity!" More tears came streaming down his face, making him that more vulnerable and he was visibly shaking.

Sasuke stared at him in utter confusion, mouth agape and dark eyes narrowed in concern and shock. Why was he lashing out? Had he said he thought Naruto was disgusting? "Why are you putting words into my mouth, dobe?" Sasuke asked snappily, though he knew he probably shouldn't. Naruto was clearly distressed, what he needed was reassurance, but they were always bickering at each other, so he snapped at the blond out of habit. "I never said any of that, dumbass."

"You don't have to! I know it!" Naruto snapped back, his blue, wet eyes crinkling in as much anguish as it was anger.

"You 'know' it? Now I _know_ you're a dumbass." Sasuke scoffed, slowly righting himself back up, his dark gaze still trained on the blond in front of him.

"Yeah? I'm a dumbass? Then why else would you falter before touching me? Huh? Can you explain _that_?"

Sasuke's brows scrunched down as he glanced away for the briefest of moments and when he looked back at Naruto, he found that the anguish had deepened to bitter resignation. He'd clearly given up. Sasuke panicked. What had he given up on was the question, but the way their conversation was going, Sasuke had the idea. "I was scared," He quickly, reluctantly answered, eyes still on Naruto, but pointed down at the blonde's chest. "I-… Didn't want to touch you…" The blond flinched, so Sasuke quickly amended with," But not because I thought you were disgusting, Naruto. If I thought as much, I'd just throw you into the tub again. I was touching you all of this morning, wasn't I? Even after I found out…" Sasuke moved a hand forwards to caress a whiskered cheek with not even a hint of hesitance, his look firm. "See? You're thinking too hard, dobe."

At the touch, Naruto slightly flinched, which Sasuke had predicted. The raven sighed and dropped his hand back down to his side.

"That's why I was scared to touch you," Sasuke softly continued, tilting his head some so that his bangs covered his eyes. "I don't want to frighten you…"

Naruto's head snapped back and he stared at the raven with wide, watery eyes. "You were scared..?" He whispered, sniffling some as he fisted his hands through the covers on the bed.

Sasuke nodded some, but kept his eyes hidden. "Well… Yeah… I didn't - _Don't_ know what to do to help. You're hurting, I can see that much… And I really don't like seeing you like that. What… What do you want me to do?" His dark eyes slowly raised to meet cerulean orbs, uncertainty swirling within the Uchiha's stare. He was clearly just as distressed as the blond, just in a different way.

And it wasn't something Naruto was accustomed to. He was used to Sasuke always keeping his cool no matter what the event taking place. Sasuke always had his head on straight…

"…Do you find me disgusting…?" Naruto quietly, deliberately asked, keeping his watery eyes trained on the inky black eyes of his lover. "D-do you think I'm t-tainted because…" He bit his lip, feeling horribly vulnerable. He tipped his head down a bit, yet kept his eyes on Sasuke's still. "Because I was u-used?" He whispered.

Sasuke's expression of helplessness quickly turned to that of horror and he was quick to the punch at snatching up Naruto's hands and pulling him forwards into a warm embrace. He held the blond man close to his chest as he just as quietly as Naruto said," Of course I don't think you're tainted! Why would you ever think that, dobe? God, don't be such an idiot. I love you, Naruto. I'll always love you no matter what."

The blond said something, but his words were muffled against Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke shifted, humming questioningly as he pressed his lips to the side of the blonde's head in a gentle, affectionate kiss. "Prove it, Sa'ke…"

Sasuke slowly froze, staring down at a shoulder with a narrowed-eye, blank look. Had he heard wrong, or had Naruto seriously just challenged him? "Naruto… I don't think that's a good idea…" He murmured, holding the younger man closer to him.

"…Why?

Sasuke shook his head in small movements. "You're… Still in shock. You're too emotional-." He was suddenly shoved away just as Naruto groaned.

"The hell, Sasuke!" He shouted, head bowed and his eyes squeezed shut. "You can't - you can't just _say_ that! How do you know, huh? Who says I-I'm too emotional? You're an asshole if you – if you think I can't handle something as stupid as this!" And fresh tears started their treks down his whiskered cheeks. "I want you to prove it to me that you still love m-me. Why can't you d-do something so s-simple?"

He just looked too pitiful, too pathetic to be denied of anything. Sasuke looked helplessly at his blond, unsure of his lover's mental health. Would it be wrong to do as was being requested of him? Would it help any to prove his love?

"Must I really prove my love to you, Naruto?" The raven-haired man asked whisperingly, reaching out to cup the blond man's cheek. He brushed the tears away with his thumb, but more fell into place, making the motion useless. "Is our trust in need of mending because…" He trailed off. Naruto's eyes were still brimming with new tears and his face was starting to look like it'd be forever scrunched up in anguish at this point. Sasuke's brows creased, his thumb brushing against the tanned man's cheek again. The blond needed this. He needed this reassurance. If Sasuke couldn't do this, then what good was he?

"I love you, Naruto." He whispered before slowly leaning in, moving ever so slowly to give the blond the time to back out if he needed it. But the blond sat still and allowed his space to be invaded. His blue eyes closed at the contact between their lips when they met and Sasuke kissed him tenderly, eyes opened a peek, looking at the tears on blond lashes. Again, his brows crinkled, concerned beyond belief, but he plowed on. If this was what Naruto wanted, this was what he was going to get. If he said to stop, Sasuke would do so, at any time, no matter how far they got or how little they were able to do. No matter when, Sasuke would stop.

There was hesitance and there were a few times Sasuke had to stop and hold Naruto's quivering body close to him… But the two men requited their lost trust and insecurities through a slow love-making of passion. At the end, Naruto cried, trembling his worn body between Sasuke's and the bed, wrapped up in the safe bounds of his lover's arms. They didn't know how long they were in that position, holding each other close, but when they next moved, their stomachs were protesting loudly. Naruto smiled wobbly at the raven-haired man and laughed quietly at the boyish grin thrown at him. In the nude and not at all minding that fact, the two got up together and went to the kitchen for something to eat. They talked quietly about nothing important, laughing when the gray kitten, who Naruto dubbed as Jerry, came bounding into the room, slipping and sliding on the tiled floor. There was nothing they could do in time to stop the kitten from plowing into the wall, but he bounced back just as quickly, meowing and demanding to be fed.

Later, Sasuke called into work and took the next three days off. When Naruto asked why, the raven-haired man merely smiled – an honest to god true smile – and pressed a tender kiss to the blonde's forehead. It left Naruto with a beaming smile for the rest of the day. And all day long, the two were attached to the hip; where one went, the other tagged along. Mostly, it was Naruto shadowing Sasuke, trying to keep his peace of mind, making sure he himself knew that he wasn't alone. It was clear to Sasuke that it would be quite a while before Naruto was back to his usual bubbly, independent self.

When evening came, they found themselves cuddled up on the couch, flipping through the channels on the tv. Sasuke was the holder of the remote while Naruto had his head resting on the Uchiha's chest, his lover's arm wrapped around him, holding him close.

It was just when Sasuke had landed on the News channel, that Naruto's interest was piqued. A single image had caught his attention, for some reason. He perked some off of Sasuke's chest, but immediately frowned when the man jumped to another channel.

"Hurry, change it back!" He swatted at the chest he'd been laying on, having quickly moved up to a sitting position. His eyes were locked on the screen intently.

"What-?"

"Just do it!"

"Okay, okay. Chill out, Naru." Sasuke hastily changed it back to the News, being greeted by the sight of a sickly pale, greasy long black-haired man with eyes and smile of a snake. The shape of his form stole the breath right from Naruto and he froze. The man was somehow familiar… But why?

And that was when his eyes caught the bottom left corner of the screen where he broadcasters normally had view of the name of the person being shown.

Orochimaru Sannin.

_Orochimaru_.

Naruto stared at the screen as a look of horror and fear slowly rose on his suddenly paled face. No. _No_. His eyes slightly glazed over as last night's events were brought back to the forefront of his mind.

"…_why have need to know my name, my precious? We're going to be introduced to another in the most intimate of acts…"_

Fear_…_

"_My name, however, is Orochimaru…"_

Pain…

"_I just had to have you for myself_."

Blood.

Dear gods… He didn't want to remember. It was still too fresh! Why? Why was this happening? Why did he have to see the sonuva bitch's face? Now he was going to be haunted by nightmares of the man for the rest of his life!

Besides Naruto, Sasuke was glaring cold, hard death at the man on the t.v. His mind was raging at the sight of the name he read, seeing the bastard on the tv. Orochimaru. What the hell? Hadn't Gaara said that the bastard was in jail? His eyes skimmed the screen and his eyes slowly widened, his lips curving up slowly Yes. Hell yeah… The sonuva bitch was gone. He was murdered this morning!

"Naruto! He's-." Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks the moment he turned to look at his lover. The poor man had his eyes glued to the tv, those brilliant blues brimming with unshed tears and fear. His lips were parted, face had drained of color, and his whole frame was quivering on the spot. It looked as if he couldn't tear his eyes from his tormentor. "Oh, Naruto…" The raven-haired man reached out and wrapped his arms around the blond, pulling him back to him. Naruto turned in the embrace and buried his face into his chest, sobbing quietly.

"…-know." His words, seconds later, were muffled, and Sasuke tried to strain his ears to hear, but failed.

Kissing the blond crown of Naruto's head, Sasuke asked in a murmur," what? I'm sorry, love, didn't hear you…"

"I d-didn't know…" Naruto repeated through a choked, quiet sob. His body trembled against Sasuke's. "I didn't k-know… What he looked like…" His shoulders shook hard against Sasuke. The raven-haired man made a shushing noise, humming quietly against his lover's soft hair, rubbing Naruto's back in a comforting manner. "A-and now that I do… Gods… What if he never goes away?"

"Shh, love… He's gone now… Look," Sasuke made the blond turn a bit, but never pulled his arms away. He watched the blond blink hos wet, beautiful blue eyes at the tv, sniffling. His eyes rounded considerably at the image they were still showing of Orochimaru, pressing his side back to Sasuke. But his eyes now skimmed the words besides the image. And a small smile flickered across his lips. "See?" Sasuke pressed a soft kiss to Naruto's temple, also smiling small. "He's not ever going to find you again."

Naruto's smile slowly feel away, though, and he frowned a little, sitting up a little better as he ran an arm across his eyes, swiping away the tears. "B-but how did… I'm not complaining, Sasuke." He looked back in a hurry at Sasuke, eyes round with fear. "I don't give a rat's ass about him. But…" He trailed off and glanced back to the tv screen. "How…?"

Sasuke understood the curiosity, but shrugged and he, too, looked back to the tv. "I don't know. Gaara said that the bastard was immediately sent to jail."

Not too soon after Sasuke finished speaking did Gaara himself showed up on the screen, surprising both occupants on the couch.

"We heard that you were first on the scene, Officer Subaku. Tell us, what happened?" A reporter on the Live newsfeed asked the ginger, holding a microphone out towards the man.

"There's not much I can really say, Ma'am." Gaara answered politely, shrugging some. "I went into the room we were holding the criminal, found the blood and his body, and the pen he used to stab himself five times in the chest." His words were followed by a cruel, sadistic smile.

It made the two men in the living room glance at each other with disbelief.

"You don't think…?" Naruto trailed off, a worried look crossing his face.

Sasuke could only shrug. Neither had even known that their friend was a cop.

But let's just say that Naruto didn't have a single nightmare that following night and the world never found out how the snake bastard had really died…

All but a single red-haired under-cover investigator…

THE END.


End file.
